Now that that startling revelation is out of the way, let it be known that in this particular instance, the mess is manageable, even embraced.

At long last, the Aztecs may have too much talent for their own good – at least at one position.

A school that since 2004 has had three linebackers selected in the first three rounds of the NFL draft has a logjam at the position, a development that not only fortifies depth, but figures to factor heavily in defensive coordinator Rocky Long's signature 3-3-5 scheme.

“By far, that's the best position on our defense,” said Long, the former New Mexico head coach who put his new charges through their paces Monday as SDSU opened fall camp. “There are quality players there and there are quality players there with experience.

“I'm not real smart, but if you have a lot of good players at one position, you play them all. You don't make them compete to see who the starter is and then the starter stays in there the whole time. If you have two players at the same position with equal ability or close to equal ability, you play both of them, because it benefits both of them.”

While the Aztecs lost Russell Allen, the school's career leader in assisted tackles, they return seven linebackers who saw playing time last year, including senior middle linebacker Luke Laolagi, who has started every game the past two seasons.

Also back is senior Jerry Milling, who was the projected starter at the weakside spot in 2007 before fracturing a bone in his left foot. The same problem shelved Milling last season after he had started two of the first four games, tallying 21 tackles and recovering a fumble.

Inheriting Allen's spot is sophomore Miles Burris, who played in all 12 games last season after arriving at SDSU ranked 30th in the nation among inside linebackers by Rivals.com.

All three, however, are keenly aware that competition awaits. Pushing Burris for playing time are sophomore Logan Ketchum and senior Zach Shapiro, both of whom were impressive during spring drills.

Behind Laolagi is junior Marcus Yarbrough, the former Eastlake High standout who appears to be coming into his own after struggling to find his niche at SDSU his first two seasons.

In re-establishing his spot in the starting lineup, Milling displaced junior Andrew Preston, who has made 20 starts in 23 career games.

“Competition brings the best out in everybody, but if you're playing at the Division I level and you're afraid of competition, you shouldn't be playing,” Milling said. “We all know that we can be replaced and that whoever plays the best is the guy that the coaches are going to put on the field.”

Long also is cognizant of the contributions that fresh linebackers can make on special teams.

“It's a situation where you've got guys constantly competing against each other for playing time all year,” he said. “Plus, they never get tired, they play harder and they play better.

“If we've got five linebackers who can play for anybody in this league, and I think we do, we might have 60 plays on defense where two guys (at the same position) each get 30. I'd like to have that problem at every position.”

Extra points

As he did at Ball State, head coach Brady Hoke is doubling as the defensive line coach. Long laughed when asked if he had the leeway to demote his defensive line coach should the Aztecs struggle.

“I've got to be careful how I put this,” Long said. “I don't have any say on who the defensive line coach is. The head coach hires all the coaches and fires all the coaches if he doesn't like them; that's his choice. Do I have the ability to critique our D-line coach? I have yet to see if that's true or not. Usually, defensive coordinators have the ability to do that, but I don't know if that's going to work or not.”

There were no absences or academic casualties among the 105 players taking part in Monday's two-hour workout. “I think we had a decent day for the first day,” Hoke said. “Obviously, we've got a lot of work to do before the (UCLA game), but it was good to be back out on the field. I think the kids came back in good shape from (offseason) workouts, but it's a little different when you get back out here and start running around again.”

After an earlier ticket package sponsored by Applebee's sold out, SDSU is offering a pair of new mini-plans for the upcoming season. Fans who purchase either the SkyShow mini-plan (vs. Southern Utah on Sept 12) or the Homecoming mini-plan (vs. BYU on Oct. 17) plus tickets to two additional home games will receive one reserved ticket for any 2009-10 Mountain West Conference SDSU men's basketball game. Visit GoAztecs.com or call (619) 283-7378 for more information.